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If you're not going to tell the truth, we all see it. We're not stupid. Well, sometimes that can be. But we're not stupid. Hey, everybody. Welcome to Buffalo Plus, I'm Mike Catalana in the beautiful Connors and Ferris podcast studio. We thank you for being with me today, Dan and Jenna with veteran days off for them. Please make sure to like, comment and subscribe. We are ready for the league podcast heading into week number five in the league. It's brought to you by Stellar, Stellar Roofing windows and siding. We thank Stellar as always for being our sponsor here on the league podcast. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to talk about my top five and bottom five. Got Dan and Jenna all worked up last week when I had those mighty Colts at number one. Just trying to wake people up a little bit. I would say to some teams that were playing well, they played pretty well. They drop out of the number one spot. So don't crush me on that. I have my top five, my bottom five. We're going to talk about a bad injury in the league to a player that is controversial, has been a great player. We'll talk about him. And I'm going to talk about officiating and not just officiating the way it's handled on NFL broadcast. So all that is coming up on this week's edition of the league. And I'm going to get in some trash talk on the Tush Push, but you'll understand what I mean when I get there. Let's start the way we always start. We're going to start with the top five, bottom five. This is my look at the league as it stands at the moment. That's how I ended up with the Colts number one last week, right? They were undefeated. They were playing well. Okay, let's begin with the bottom five. And this is from five to one. So in that thinking, this would be the fifth worst team and they're coming off a win for right now, I'm going to put the New York Giants there and I'm happy Brian Dabel made the move. Jackson dart looked like a rookie, used his legs, which is great. Whatever it took to get them win, I think was a big deal. Thought he looked pretty composed. The rest of the team defense got after it against the Chargers here. The Chargers were undefeated. We were talking about them. Maybe they could end up being the team in the AFC West. Next thing you know, they have more injuries, they lose to the Giants and the Chiefs win. But we'll talk More about that in a minute. So I look at the Giants and I say, I think they have the makings of something. They're banged up a little bit. The Malik neighbors injury just crushes them. He's a difference maker in that passing game. He would be helping out Jackson dart a lot during the year. Torn ACL, that godforsaken turf at MetLife Stadium. It's a shame the Bills have to play there every year. It's a good thing they got out of there without any injuries. I saw something that the Giants have drafted past catchers in the first couple of rounds like five different times and four of those players have had knee injuries and you know, Odell Beckham was one of them. And now, you know, now it's Malik neighbor. So it's going to hurt him. They're not a good football team. The offensive line is still not good. Defense has a few players. They got after it a little bit on the D line. It's going to be interesting for Dable now because he's got the kid, but he loses his biggest weapon on offense. They're going to have to show a lot and he's going to have to be good for D to do well. But right now I got him at 5 and with a chance to, you know, maybe show a little bit. Their schedule gets a lot tougher at four and you guys just watch this. If you're a Bills fan, just watch the Saints. I'm only putting them there because they've yet to win, but I think they've shown something in three of their four games that they have the makings of a team. How do I put this? That is ready to begin their rebuild. They won't truly begin the rebuild until they have their quarterback and you know, they got decent play. They stayed in the game with the Bills, they ran the ball well. That's more on the Bills than it is on them. And then, you know, they drafted a kid in the first round, Tyler Schoff. They're going to see at some point if he can play, but they're rebuilding. And then, then they make their decision on what they're doing at quarterback. And I, you know, I wonder where they are. I wonder if it goes really bad and you know, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning's nephew is sitting out there. I know he hasn't gotten off to a great start, but I. Come on, it's. It's New Orleans and Archie Manning in New Orleans is a legend. Even though the team wasn't good, he was a great player. 100 years ago, just throwing out things that could happen with the Saints. Think Kellen Moore might eventually do a good job there. They were kind of a tough out for the Bills, certainly, and they've played well in three games, but I got him there. Third, I have the Jets. You guys know, I thought the jets were going to be better this year. They've been semi competitive, really. Except the Bills game, they should have beaten the Steelers, right? Even the Dolphins game, they had a couple spectacular plays. I mean, a Garrett Wilson catch late in the game. Hey, shout out to Dan Fates in Uncle Dan's Best Bets. He had the over in that game. That touchdown put him over. So way to go, Dan. But the jets just do a lot of dumb stuff and they're just not there as an entire roster. I think Aaron Glenn is. I, I heard stories last night. I wasn't there, not in the building that he was on his team after that game. Reporter said they could hear him yelling outside the room. Whether that's true or not, he's got the right to do that, especially in year one. He can light them up. There are a bunch of young guys and they do have some talent. Sauce took some penalties last night. He's blaming it, saying the refs are picking on him because they're losing team. I don't know. He did grab a couple times. He got caught a couple times and, and Miami got to him. And we'll talk about the Miami injury coming up in a little bit. But I have the jets right now winless as third. Second, I have the Titans and they're terrible. I mean, they're really bad. And Brian Callahan, the coach, he's already getting into it with reporters because they're asking him questions about what he's doing. I don't think it's going to go well. I think Cam Ward's got something in him. I think he's kind of a winner as a, as a player. He's not going to win there. They're bad. I mean, that's a bad team. And I have them at number two because they're going to be in this five, I think all year long, right? They think they have the quarterback, so they won't be in the market for that. Maybe at the end of the year, depending on how they finish, they could be the team that's looking to deal that pick. But I got him a two, and this is a team I put at number one for this week. Cincinnati Bengals. It's recency bias because I watched them in that Monday night game and they Were horrible, just horrible in that game. And their defense already isn't good, but the offense was a mess. And yes, I know the quarterback is outright no Joe Burrow, but they were. They made so many mental errors, so many issues. Dumb penal, dumb penalty penalties on them. I tweeted at one point, do they even practice? That's how bad they looked. Coach Taylor, you know, clear mind, full hearts, right? Is that what it is? Clear mind, full hearts. Can't lose. If you know the show, you know it. But I should. Man, I feel like Dan, I think I might have screwed that up. They can lose. They were atrocious. I don't know how this season's going to go. It doesn't look like Burrow is going to be back. They won a couple games early. They may not be the worst team in the league. They looked like the worst team in the league in that game. Just. Just really poorly prepared to play. Offensive line was bad. You know, the defense stinks. Couple of their better players got banged up in the game. So for right now, for this week, I'm going to go with them as number one. Let's go to the top five. Let's be more positive, right? There's only two undefeated teams in the league. Two. The Bills being one of them at 4. Zero. The Eagles being another at 4. Zero. I'm going to tell you this right off the top. I don't have either of them as the number one team in the league. So there we go. How's that? Let's start with number five. Got to give this team a little love. And it's not the Colts. No, the Colts. Drop out of my top five for this week, see what happens. I give you a little props. And then you go and lose. But they did. I'm going to make number five. The Seahawks, I think they got something going there a little bit. They're three and one. Their point differential, one of the best in the league. They play tough. You guys know, they're always good at home. McDonald, the coach, a defensive guy starting to get things going. Sam Darnold's been okay. Watch out for them a little bit. You know, the Rams have not been great. And the 49ers lost. They're not that good anyhow. So Seahawks and the 49ers, I think, are both 3 and 1. I think the Seahawks are a better team. It's going to come down to division games out there, but I'm going to put them five. I am going to be putting my undefeated Philadelphia Eagles at number four. Yes. They are undefeated and yes, they have found ways to win. How about this for a way to win? How about playing the Buccaneers? First of all, for the Eagles to win in Tampa is a big deal because they don't win in Tampa. Last year they got blown out in Tampa. This time they jump out to a big lead. Play very well in the first half was 24, 3 till Chase McLaughlin made a 65 yard field goal. Then imagine this, a team playing the second half on the road against a good Bucs team. The Eagles did not complete a pass in the second half. That's hard to do. Very hard to do. And they gave up 270 plus yard scores. That's hard to do. And they won the game. And some young guys make plays for them. Their offense is not right. The defense is very young, very talented. It will get better because Vic Fangio I think is the best coordinator in the NFL on defense. They're not great at the moment. They're 4, 0, not great. They've got Denver. You know, schedule makers didn't do Denver any favor. You play Monday night and then have to travel to Philly for a Sunday one o' clock game the next week. Who did that to them? They. They should have. They should have noticed that that's not a great thing for them. But all right, at number three, this is how quickly I can change things. Because you know, they let me last week. I had the Chiefs as one of the five worst teams in the league just because I like picking on them. I'm going to have them number three as one of the three best teams and here's why. I think they woke up a little bit in that game. I think they heard a lot of stuff. I think the Ravens are in big trouble. We'll see how Lamar is. But the Chiefs already had the defense. I'm not saying they're the world beater Chiefs. They've already lost a few games but they looked good and Mahomes look good and they got their offense going and they're going to be getting more guys back. So I'm just not going to count them out yet. I'm talking about coming off this game. This game was a big one for them and they blew out a Ravens team that is going in the wrong direction. I don't know what the Bills did to him in that comeback, but they do not look like the same team. And again, now Lamar is banged up. You got to give the Chiefs credit. Nobody wants to, but give them credit. They bounced back. Now let's see where this Goes, you know, because that was an emotional game for them. 4:25, they're at home. And they look like they've heard a lot of the noise about them and don't have to go that far back. Hate to say it, but the Patriots used to do this. They get off to a bad start. Chiefs haven't really gotten off to that many bad starts, but they get off to a bad start and everybody just can't wait to bury them. We can't wait to bury them. And they bounce back, so we'll see where they are. But I have them at number three right now in the league at number two. I have the Bills. I have them at number two. Undefeated, of course, just like I said with the Eagles. Undefeated, flawed. That's the way I look at them. And the defense is just not good enough. We do a whole podcast. Dan, Jen and I will do probably four of them this week. Telling you how many ways I can say the defense is not good enough and the offense is very good. Josh will put up 30. And they got a good test with New England this week. I mean, there's still some things, right? Those lulls are tough, but they're very good. There little wackiness with the kicking game. Like they're going to have another punter and Prater's hanging in there. We don't know what's going to happen with Tyler Bass, but you got Josh Allen. They score 30, that puts you in a good spot. I just don't like the defense. I know there's going to be a lot of changes. Dion Walker looks good. Not seeing anything from TJ Sanders, Landon Jackson, not even on the field. They'll get Milano back, they'll get Ed Oliver back. We'll see what happens at corner two. I want more Dorian Strong on the field. This is all Bills fans know this stuff. I got him as number two in the league. Even though they're undefeated, right? And the Eagles are undefeated. I got them at number four. Number one, Detroit Lions. Everybody got all over them early in the year when they got rocked. They're playing with a purpose and they looked. You know, it's funny. We recorded last week before they played that Thursday game when they just lit up the Ravens in that game and outplayed them in Baltimore. And I like that. I like the way the Lions team is playing. It's like they're freed up a little bit. You would think it could go the other way with the new coordinators, but I think they have played really well. And for this week, I'M going to, as we say, give them their flowers. I got them as the number one team in the NFL. Obviously this can all move around because like I said, I can pick the five I want. Obviously. I want you guys to comment. Tell me where I'm wrong, tell me where I'm right. Tell me who I'm forgetting. I don't have the packers in there. I watched that game. My God, their defense was terrible. And Micah, you want to make a point to those Dallas fans, that did not happen. I'm also going to add something in here. You guys know how much I love the Dallas Cowboys, right? Dax playing like a top five quarterback in the league, maybe even top three. He has been phenomenal so far. I think his game against the Giants and I know they stink, but tell me the packers defense wasn't pretty good and he lit them up. They could not stop him. And that's without CD Lamb. I got to call it the way I see it, I'm no big Dak Prescott fan. I think they've. It's been a weird dynamic with him and the Cowboys, but he is playing really well. So I had the Cowboys in my bottom five, actually week one, I think I had them number one and they're not a good team. But Dak is playing really well and he deserves a lot of credit. The Tyreek Hill injury thing, as we were saying, is in that game as tough to see for any player in this league. And look, not this year, but the year before the NFL 100 the players voted him as the best player in the league. He was a spectacular wide receiver. I mean, he's wacky and I thought he was going to end up getting traded this year and going to the Chiefs. He's played better, obviously played well. No spectacular numbers when the Bills played him, but he's played better. And you know, I don't pretend to be a doctor. I have a communications degree. I'm just reading what other people say. But that's a very serious injury with multiple ligaments and maybe more they're talking about. You know, the guy's an incredible athlete, but obviously he's out for this year and it could be more than that. So that was tough to see. Nobody wants to watch that play. He was oddly composed and smiling going off the field, which, however somebody handles that, I give him credit. So tough to see for Tyree Kill. It's tough for the Dolphins, who, you know, played better again, beat the jets, got their first win, but losing him is going to hurt them the rest of the Year. Okay, The Monday Night Football game, there was two of them. And I'm listening to the broadcast and as I just expressed my love for the Cowboys, Troy Aikman, another guy, I, you know, when I just watched him play, just was not a Troy Aikman guy because he was the Cowboys and he played the Eagles and he beat the Bills in the super bowl twice. So not a Troy Aiken guy. I have grown to love him as a broadcaster. You know why? He's a little younger than me and he is a cranky old man in the booth and he gets tired of seeing some of the crap, including the flags, and then they throw in the guy. The latest one is this guy, Russell Yerik, who is the rules guy. I don't have as big a problem with them having a rules guy in the booth. Here's the problem I have with the rules guy in the booth. Troy is just beside himself because he says nothing brings a broadcast to a screeching halt more than the flags. You are absolutely right. That game was loaded with flags. But they show this replay of a blindside block, and Aikman is watching it and I can only imagine, based on his voice, he is ready to throw up, that they threw a flag. It was sort of a side block push behind the play. And this Russell Yerk says, yep, pushed him from the side, moving towards the line of scrim, blah, blah, whatever. AI robotic answer that he gave about the play. And he goes, good call. You know, because that's all they say. It's like it's beyond them to say that was a wrong call. That was a bad call. Why not? I said Aikman can say. He could say Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. That's a bad pass. That's a wrong read. Why can't the. The ref in the booth just say bad call. Now he says, right on the line, it's a call. Good call. And then Aikman says, good call. He just didn't need to throw the flag there. I love that he's cranky. I love it that he does. But this, this guy with these guys in the booth, if you're not going to tell the truth, we all see it. We're not stupid. Well, sometimes that can be. But we're not stupid. It's a bad call. Just say it's a bad call. The refs are allowed to get them wrong. That's why they. They should have even more replay. They get a lot of them right then. Then they get them wrong. Just say that it's wrong. Or say the flag didn't need to come down. You all he had to say there was by the technicality of the rule, that is a penalty. Probably should have let that one go. You don't have to crush the guy, but that's what they don't do. Then you got this Dean Blandino clown who is not a former official. He's in there and is what gets me. He got all in in his feelings about the Tush push in the Kansas City game and the guy actually says this is too hard to officiate. I'm done with this play. Well, first of all, nobody cares if you're done with it. It's still a legal play in the league. And by the way, the Bills are running it. A lot of the teams that voted against it, they're still running it. And Dean Blandino, again, why he's in the booth, I have no idea. But he's giving his. This is what Roger told me to say, because Roger doesn't like the play. Just clownish is the way I look at it. And then I love what the Eagles did. I just told you how bad their offense was in the second half. But in the first half, they line up for the Tush push. You know, Tampa, we're going to stop it. We got Vita Vea, we got all these guys. And they run a little pitch to Barkley and he trots into the end zone. And then later they line up for again throws a little pass to Dallas Goddard behind the line, little shovel pass, and they get a touchdown. So they're playing off of it and still using it. But other teams, other teams ran it more this past week than the Eagles did. So, you know, a lot holier than thou say we don't like to play, we don't like it. And then they run it. Eagles aren't running it as much as they have in the past. I mean, they haven't been in his fourth and one as many times. But I don't need to hear. I really don't need to hear Dean Blandino tell me he's done with the play. I'm done with hearing Dean Blandino in the booth. If these guys aren't going to tell the truth, then there's no reason to have them in there. That's going to do it for this week's edition of the League, brought to you by, as we always say, stellar roofing, windows and siding. We appreciate them being with us. And I wanted to mention this. Jenna's going to get mad at me. I should have mentioned this at the top. We are going to be in Buffalo at the Buffalo Riverworks on Thursday, October 9, right. So that's before the weekend when the Bills head down to Atlanta to play against the Falcons. And it's after this Sunday night game. So that Thursday night we are coming to Buffalo. We know a lot of you guys are in the Buffalo area, so we want you to come out. We're doing a meet and greet from 5 to 7 and then we're doing our podcast live from 7 to 8. We'll be there. They're going to have some stuff going on from what I've been told. Maybe you're in Buffalo, you've already been there. Cool place to go there. There's going to be some other music and things going on. I think there's a hockey game that night, so there's plenty to go on. There'll be obviously food there. So we are happy that you're going to be with us. White Claws, our sponsor for that. I don't know if you can see it in this shot. White Claws, our sponsor, we thank them for being with us on this trip. So that again, Thursday, October 9th, Jenna, Dan and myself, five to really eight o', clock, but we'll start doing the podcast live from seven to eight. We want to see you there. All right. Thanks for being with us in the Connors and Ferris podcast studio. As always, please like, comment and subscribe to the channel. And we thank our friends at Stellar for being with us for this week's edition of the league. I'm Mike Catalana. Thanks for being with us and we'll be with you all weekend long to get you ready for the Bills and the Patriots coming up. SA.